Staff/Program Responsibilities
Co-Presidents & Officer
Carol Dougal - Co-President
Hedy Ratner - Co-President
Mary Ann Angle - Vice President
Finance Program
Teresa Prim - Finance Specialist
DuWarn Porter - Business/Finance Counselor
Child Care
Elizabeth Gardner - Retail/Franchise and Child Care Initiatives Coordinator
Deborah Minor Harvey - Business Counselor/Trainer
Teresa Prim - Finance Specialist
Entrepreneurial Woman's Conference
Mia M. Delano - Consultant
Emerging Business
Heather Parish - Business Counselor
Sylvia Wynn - Business Counselor
Kim Casey - Director, Business Development & PTAC Director
Christina Williams - Business Development & PTAC Assistant
WBE Certification & Procurement
Deon Crayton - Certification Program Manager
Kelly Hinman - Certification Specialist
Debbi Lyall- Director of Certification
Rupert Serrano- Certification Assistant
Peggy Smith - Certification Specialist
Sarah Yun - Certification and Research Assistant
Cori Washington- Certification Specialist
Entrepreneurial Training
Sara Shifrin - Training Director/Business Counselor
Latina Entrepreneurial Training
Alejandra Fajardo - Business Counselor/Bilingual Trainer
Maria Lopez - Business Counselor/Bilingual Trainer
Asian American Women Business Initiative (AAWBI)
Sarah Yun - AAWBI Coordinator
Administrative Staff
Janice Bailey - Facility Manager
Jennifer Carpenter - Administrative Assistant
Ellenie Girma - Systems/Network Administrator
Josefina Ocampo - Receptionist/Training Assistant
Tara Franey- Associate Director, Development & Advocacy
Rupert Serrano - Media Data Administrator
Joyce Spain - Bookkeeper
Virginia Uqdah - Office Manager
Sarah Yun - Special Project Coordinator & Executive Assistant
Deon M. Crayton, Certification Program Manager
Deon M. Crayton is the Certification Program Manager at the WBDC. She assists women on all types of certifications in addition to procurement counseling and workshops. Deon came to the WBDC in 2002 as the PTAC Assistant and has held various positions including PTAC Director and Certification Specialist prior to her current position. Deon received a B.A degree in 2001 from Albion College, in Albion, Mich., and an M.A. in Professional Counseling in 2003 from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology/Argosy University, in Chicago.
Elizabeth Gardner, Coordinator, Child Care Business Initiative
Elizabeth Gardner is part of the WBDC’s Child Care Business Initiative (CCBI) team and Fund Administrator for the CCBI’s Microloan fund. Ms Gardner brings over 10 years of experience in marketing and business development with a special emphasizes on small business.
Ellenie Girma, M.I.S. & Systems Manager
Ellenie Girma is the Network Administrator/Systems Engineer of WBDC. She is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) and Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP). Her responsibilities include administration and maintenance of the Local Area Network, monitoring network performance and network security, installation, configuration and upgrade of software tools essential for good network, troubleshooting and evaluation of servers and workstations, and preparation of procedures manual. She is responsible for the overall plan and execution of the network services of WBDC
Debbi L. Lyall, Director of Certification /Procurement Specialist
Debbi L. Lyall is Certification Director/Procurement Specialist at the WBDC. Debbi has over 10 years of purchasing experience in both the public and private sectors. In her role at the WBDC, Debbi assists small businesses in accessing contracting/subcontracting opportunities, counseling on bid/proposal preparation and submission, and assistance on all certifications.
Teresa Prim, Finance Counselor
Teresa Prim is a WBDC Finance Counselor and Trainer. She provides technical assistance and loan packaging services to established and start-up businesses at the WBDC in areas such as: preparing cash flow projections, profit and loss statements, business plan review and consultation, and financing options. She provides loan packaging services in order to access loan guarantees from SBA Pre-Qualification, Low-Doc and 504 Program, as well as other special government and private sector loan programs. She is an expert in many facets of business development including but not limited t child care, Laundromats, real estate transactions, retail, consulting and specialist in community development strategies.
She has worked in the field of business finance and community development for over 22 years. Ms. Prim holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management Information Systems from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Master’s of Science Degree in Community Economic Development from New Hampshire College
Hedy M. Ratner, Co-President
Hedy M. Ratner is founder and Co-President of the Women’s Business Development Center, the largest, oldest—since 1986—and most comprehensive women’s business assistance center in the U.S.
An advocate and activist for women’s issues for over 30 years, Hedy Ratner was appointed by President Clinton to the National Women’s Business Council; she helped to advocate for, create and was appointed by Illinois Governor Edgar and by Governor Ryan to the Illinois Women’s Business Ownership Council and the Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women in Illinois. She was appointed by Gov. George Ryan in 2002 to the Illinois Development Finance Authority and Illinois Labor Advisory Board. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley appointed Hedy as Co-Chairperson of the Women’s Health Task Force. She is also a board member of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and The Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, and a founding member of the Coalition For Equal Opportunity and the Alliance of Minority and Female Contractors Association
Sara Shifrin, Director, Entrepreneurial Training
Sara Shifrin serves as the Director of Entrepreneurial Training and as a consultant to clients at the Women’s Business Development Center. She counsels women business owners, manages the WBDC’s entrepreneurial training programs, facilitates and develops workshops for the WBDC’s many educational programs. she also coordinates many of the WBDC's marketing efforts including most of the brochures.
An entrepreneur herself, Sara has owned a fitness center and a retail incubator. Sara conducts self-employment/small business workshops for colleges, non-profit organizations, banks, the State of Illinois, and local chambers of commerce throughout the Chicago area, through her company, Sara Shifrin Consulting
Virginia F. Uqdah, Office Manager
Virginia F. Uqdah is Office Manager. Ms. Uqdah has twelve years of managerial and business development experience. She specializes in staff development and financial management.
Sylvia J. Wynn, Business Counselor
Sylvia Wynn is a contracted business consultant with the WBDC. She provides business operations and marketing counseling to established, emerging and start-up business owners.
Sylvia is co-founder of SJW Enterprises, a marketing and marketing research consulting company which assists Fortune 500 corporations in marketing strategies. She has been associated with the WBDC since 1991.
